nobel
Laymeh Gbowee on Sex, Peace and the U.S. at War GRITtv 1/2/12
Nobel Paace-Prize winner Laymeh Gbowee of Liberia talks to Laura Flanders of GRITtv about sex as an organizing tool, the prospects for women in Eqypt and where NGOs - and the US - go wrong when it comes to making peace after war.
Email this pageGRITtv: The F Word: Leaders of War
Who says the president is failing to show leadership? In one area at least, there's no sign of flag or falter. If anything, the administration's only becoming more forthright. Sad to say, that area is military build-up. Last year, the White House made a big deal of cutting a weapons program -- the F-22 fighter jet, for example -- but the cuts conveniently obscured the growth in spending on unmanned aircraft or drones -- the weapons that Pakistanis say killed dozens of civilians in twelve attacks last month -- 43 for every alleged Al Qaeda operative. This year, the president dispensed with the window dressing. No big deal about cuts -- except on the domestic side. While the administration has record $3.8 trillion budget cuts or freezes spending on domestic programs, it requests $708.3 billion for war. That's a $14.8 billion increase over what we're spending now. $548.9 billion for "regular" war, plus $159.3 billion for spending in Afghanistan and Iraq. And oh yes, the administration is asking Congress to increase spending on the US nuclear arsenal by more than $7 billion dollars over the next five years -- despite that pledge to cut the US arsenal and seek a nuclear weapons-free world. In my view, the quote of the day comes from the CEO of a military contractor-funded policy group. Loren Thompson tells Tuesday's New York Times, "The defense industry is pleased but bemused. It?s been telling itself for years that when the Democrats got control it would be bad news for weapons programs. But the spending keeps going on.? Take that you Nobel committee... And to think some complain about Democrats suffering from a lack of direction. The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv which broadcasts weekdays on satellite TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415 Free Speech TV) on cable, and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com. Follow GRITtv or GRITlaura on Twitter.com.
GRITtv: Cartoons in Conflict
Obama accepted his Peace Prize today and mounted a defense of war as a tool for peace. But activists Robi Damelin, who lost her son to a Palestinian sniper, and Mazen Faraj, who lost his father to an Israeli sniper, are advocating a different approach. Members of The Parents Circle-Families Forum, they're touring the U.S. with Cartoons in Conflict, an exhibit featuring the work of 40 renowned American and international cartoonists, who offer their singular perspective on conflict, reconciliation and peace. For International Human Rights Day, Robi and Mazen join Laura in the studio to tell their stories, how they came to work for peace, and talk about the cartoons they're presenting.
